What a beautiful day for a ride along Buffalo Bayou! I wasn’t the only one that thought so – there were lots of people out this morning, some on foot, some on bike, and even a few on roller blades.

I rode to the Sam Houston Tollway overpass, watched a kayaker practice maneuvers and rode on. Unfortunately I forgot to take Strava off of pause. Grrrr. Oh well, round trip is about 15.4 miles and that’s how I’m going to log it.

I usually take a pretty good selfie. This one isn’t my best, but it wouldn’t be a ride blog without one! This is under Sam Houston Tollway overpass at Buffalo Bayou.This guy was practicing paddling upstream. The current is pretty swift here. Impressive.This is one of many resting places along the trail. This bench was the only one decorated with small flags and freshly planted rose bushes. The plaque on the bench says, “In honor of Mr. Samuel Pennington, April 3, 2014. From Pamela, Robert and Jacob.” With the placement of flags today, I’m guessing he gave his life for our country. Thank you all who made the ultimate sacrifice for our great nation!

Ride Stats (no I didn’t fly over one segment; the straight line is the segment in which I forgot to resume tracking:

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Wow! It has been four months since I last rode my bike. Blame busy-ness at work, wet weather, high winds… I suppose one can always come up with an excuse. Enough of that.

About 2.5 miles into this ride I stopped for a water break. Huffing and puffing, I wondered how long a ride this would really turn out to be. After a few minutes in the shade and a refreshing drink of water, I caught my stride and managed to log just over 6 additional miles on a beautiful Saturday morning.

My trusty Schwinn offers an easy & comfortable ride

Starting with the 2.5 mile loop trail at Terry Hershey Park in west Houston, I rode on through the British Petroleum office complex, posed for a selfie in front of one of our favorite Mexican restaurants – I could’ve downed one of their awesome margaritas had they been open – then through a couple of neighborhoods as I winded my way home.

The original Lupe Tortilla offers a really good Margarita – just not this early in the day!

It is good to be back in the saddle. No more excuses!

Ride stats:

Saturday, May 25, 2019

Cumulative Miles 2019: 85.7

Happy Cycling!

Soli DEO Gloria!

(c) kellertxdad.net 2019

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After a couple of weekends deemed by yours truly as too cold and/or wet to ride, we were blessed with beautiful weather here in Houston last Sunday. I had a lot on my plate, so I wasn’t sure whether I would ride or not – that is, not until I logged into my Fitbit app all 1,221 calories of my James Coney Island Sunday lunch – two coney dogs and a pile of chili-cheese fries. At that point, there was no doubt that my Schwinn was going for a ride and I would be on it.

As I left the house, I decided I would re-embark on the Barker Reservoir trail with my goal being to surpass the turnaround point on my last ride. As I rode west along the reservoir, I faced a stiff breeze. I wondered if the breeze would be multi-directional as it seemed on my last ride but I pressed on. As I turned left to head north from my previous turnaround point, I was pleased to enjoy a nice, smooth trail right through the reservoir. I really appreciate that nature is so close by and accessible.

Of course, cycling through nature is not without its hazards. As I approached this day’s turnaround point as Westheimer Parkway, the “pop, pop, pop” from the nearby shooting range grew increasing louder. I was also thankful for the sign reminding me not to swim in the brackish water and to keep my eyes peeled for alligators.

As I turned around at Westheimer Parkway, I noted that I had ridden 11.3 miles thus far. And I was pleased to note, as I turned east between the reservoir and I-10 that the wind was at my back. My ride home was a piece of cake.

I leave for London this Saturday, so I will lose the next couple of weekends to travel. I continue to enjoy my new hobby, and I look forward to daylight savings time allowing me the option to hop on the bike a few evenings a week.

Ride stats:

Cumulative miles 2019: 76.8

Happy Cycling!

Soli DEO Gloria!

(c) kellertxdad.net 2019

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January 12, 2019 – What a beautiful morning! As I prepared to depart on my ride the sun was shining and the temp was a cool 61 degrees. This is the perfect morning on which to attempt the 22-mile round trip around the Barker Reservoir. Or so I thought. As I headed up our street towards Memorial Drive, the more-brisk-than-I-realized breeze blew into my face and hindered my progress. And the effects of a late night out presented themselves in royal fashion. No, today is not the day for that longer ride. It’s OK; plans can be changed.

As I rode up Memorial Drive towards Terry Hershey Park, I pondered my options. I could do the loop trail and go home, but that would be too short. Then I remembered an access point into a neighborhood adjoining the park. I decided to explore that, and see where the roads would take me. Lo and behold, they took me to work!

I could bike to work if I wanted to…

I know a few coworkers to ride their bikes to work and back. We are blessed to have a workout facility at the office, complete with showers and changing space. So I could do it, if I wanted to. Something to ponder…

I rode up Enclave Pkwy to Briar Forest, turned around and rode back to Hershey. From there I headed back up Memorial Drive to the comfort of home. Not exactly the ride I envisioned as I prepared to leave, but I’ll take it given the circumstances. The Barker Reservoir trail will be there when I’m ready to tackle it.

Ride stats:

2019 Cumulative Miles: 54.4

Happy cycling!

Soli DEO Gloria!

(c) kellertxdad.wordpress.com (2019)

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January 6, 2019. After having walked a portion of this trail I’ve looked forward to exploring the rest of it on my bike. Beginning at Terry Hershey Park to the east, the trail is roughly 11 miles long to its end at South Fry Road. The weather was, again, perfect for a ride: temps in the los 70’s with partly cloudy skies and a nice breeze. As I mounted my bike to begin my journey, the saddle-soreness from yesterday’s ride immediately dictated that this would be a partial exploration of this trail.

Our home, along many others, was flooded after Hurricane Harvey when the federal government opened the flood gates at the Barker Reservoir with no advance notice or warning. Seeing those gates now still brings back the memories of forced evacuation and significant property loss.

The section of trail I rode is unshaded, and follows the berms that form the reservoir. As I rode north and then turned west towards Barker Cypress road the breeze was in my face and I looked forward to a nice tail wind on the ride back. Reaching my turnaround point near West Houston Audi on the Katy Freeway, I snapped pics of the section of trail to be explored next weekend (left) and looking back over the route over which I have come (right) as I enjoyed my water break.

As I retraced my route eastbound, I was surprised that the breeze in my face was stronger than it was headed west. How in the world does that happen? Ducking my head to the wind, I persevered, soon arriving back at Terry Hershey Park. I couldn’t help but capture a few pics of an over-full Buffalo Bayou before heading home.

Having ridden two days in a row, my body is telling me it needs some rest, and I’m happy to oblige. I continue to enjoy my new hobby and look forward to hitting the trails next weekend, weather permitting of course!

Ride stats:

2019 Cumulative Miles: 44.8

Happy cycling!

Soli DEO Gloria!

(c) kellertxdad.wordpress.com (2019)

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January in Houston offers some outstanding weather for hitting the cycling trails and today was absolutely perfect. I pulled out of the garage late this morning, greeted by a sunny sky and beautiful 64 degree temperature. My goal: Ride the bayou trail to Gessner Road and back. More on that in a bit.

We had a lot of rain this past week, and the bayou was overflowing its banks as a result. Many stopped to check it out, including this family.

As I approached the Sam Houston Tollway overpass, I was excited to pass this previous turnaround point for me. Proceeding under the bridge, I came upon several of Houston’s first responders practicing fast water rescues and maneuvers in the bayou. How cool is this??

Continuing on, I rode up a slight rise headed east towards Gessner Road when it happened. Dead end. The trail continued through a locked gate at a very nice looking apartment building. Best laid plans, I guess…

Well, what could I do? I rode up to the tollway and took a quick tour through an adjoining neighborhood, hit the trail and headed west towards home. I’ll be checking out the Houston trail maps, as I still intend to ride downtown and back by end of this year.

It doesn’t really matter, though. I ride for fun. I enjoy the weather and the scenery. Today’s ride was excellent. My new Schwinn is performing beautifully, and I’m enjoying the Strava app. I like that I see other Strava users marked in the app but haven’t found any local Strava friends yet. And the app calls me an “athlete” – that by itself makes it a keeper.

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Happy New Year! When I started walking the Hershey Park Trail in Houston’s Energy Corridor last fall, I noticed cyclists of all ages, shapes and sizes on the trail and the bug bit. I told my wife I wanted a bicycle for Christmas and, being the wonderful person she is, she came through with a brand new Schwinn!

12.26.2018 My new Schwinn, fresh out of the box.

12.26.2018 Assembled by yours truly!

Fortunately, it was rather easy to assemble. I took my first test ride around our neighborhood December 26 and my first venture onto the Hershey Park Trail December 28. The bike is easy to ride, gears shift smoothly out of the box, and I really appreciate the disk brakes and front fork suspension. For this novice, the Schwinn was a very good choice.

12.28.2018 Rest stop along the bayou, just west of Dairy-Ashford Road

My goal for 2019 is to ride the trails round trip from my home in the Energy Corridor to downtown Houston by the end of the year. To keep myself moving forward and to track my progress, I’m trying the Strava app on my iPhone. I like that it maps my ride while showing me other Strava users in the vicinity. I also invested in a bell and a water bottle in preparation for crowded trails and need for hydration along the way.

Today, New Year’s Day, I rode 15 miles round trip, turning around at the Sam Houston Tollway. The sun was shining, providing a very nice temperature in the low 60’s. The breeze was a bit brisk, and the trail was fairly crowded with walkers, joggers and cyclists. My bell got a decent workout and I felt good about my effort upon returning home.

Buffalo Bayou between Dairy Ashford & Kirkwood

Sam Houston Tollway overpass

Water break!

Strava map of today’s ride. Not bad!

Thank you for joining me on my 2019 cycling adventure. I plan to chronicle my rides here as I make progress towards achieving my 2019 goal. As mentioned above I’m a novice rider. I welcome advice from experienced cyclists.